St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica, also known as the Basilica di San Pietro, is the largest church on Earth, the most renowned piece of Renaissance architecture. The famed painter and scupltor Michelangelo was commissioned to decorate the basilica under Pope Julius II in the early Renaissance, and it is a site for Christian pilgrimage.

History
The original Saint Peter's Basilica, built in 326, as opposed to the epic basilica that exists today, was constructed in the form of a Latin cross. An atrium, called the Garden of Paradise, stood at the entrance, beckoning followers through the main doorways of the church. Unlike pagan temples, which were lavishly decorated, the facade of Saint Peter's was plain. Thankfully, Catholicism got over all that when they made the new Saint Peter's. The basilica was built on top of the old Circus of Nero, where the Roman crucifixions of Christians was the main act. St. Peter, among others, was hung up to die there. The basilica was built on top of this anti-Christian site, almost an intentional modification of history by Emperor Constantine the Great.